- Bloom: several weeks in May or June.
- Lighting: bright sunlight for 4-5 hours daily, the rest of the time bright diffused light - western and eastern window sills are suitable. When growing in a florarium or terrarium, additional artificial lighting will be required.
- Temperature: in the warm season - 20-30 ˚C, in winter the temperature can drop to 7 ˚C.
- Watering: It is best to keep the plant on a tray with distilled or rain water, into which the drainage holes of the pot will be immersed: the flower itself will replenish its need for moisture.
- Air humidity: very high. It is recommended to keep the plant in a terrarium or florarium.
- Top dressing: not required, since the Venus flytrap feeds on insects: during the growing season, the plant needs to be fed 2-3 small live flies, and each time the insects must be placed in different traps.
- Rest period: in the fall, reduce watering and do not leave water in the pan; the plant is kept until spring at a temperature of 7-10 ˚C without food or lighting, only moistening the substrate from time to time. At the beginning of March, the flower is returned to its usual place, last year’s traps are cut off and the watering and nutrition regime is gradually restored.
- Transfer: on average every 2-3 years, in spring, at the beginning active growth.
- Reproduction: by dividing the bush, leaf cuttings, and if pollination is successful by hand - by seeds.
- Pests: aphid, spider mites.
- Diseases: sooty mushroom.
Read more about growing Venus flytraps below.
Venus flytrap (Dionea) - description
The predator Venus flytrap is a perennial herbaceous insectivorous plant family Sundew, the only species of the genus. The height of adult specimens does not exceed 15 cm. The stem of the plant is bulbous, the flowers are white, collected on a long peduncle in corymbose inflorescences. Since in nature the Venus flytrap grows on soils with insufficient nitrogen content, insects and mollusks, in particular slugs, serve as the source of this element for the plant.
The leaves of the Venus flytrap, in numbers from 4 to 7 pieces, grow from a short underground stem and form a rosette. Traps grow back after flowering. They are from 8 to 15 cm long, green in color, but good lighting their internal cavities have a red tint. Traps are formed at the end of short petioles collected in rosettes. The closer to summer, the longer the petioles become, gradually taking on a vertical position. The traps consist of two slamming flaps with sparse bristles along the edges. Inside the trap there are glands that produce nectar, which attracts prey. In addition to the bristles, there are three triggers along the edges of the trap; when irritated by insects, the trap closes and the plant begins to secrete digestive secretions.
Digestion of food lasts from 5 to 10 days, after which the predatory Venus flytrap opens the trap leaf. The trap dies after digesting two or three victims, although there have been cases where one leaf served as a grave for 7 insects in turn.
How to grow a Venus flytrap.
The Venus flytrap can grow both in the garden and on the windowsill, and although the process of growing it has a high degree of complexity, caring for it is not as difficult as some other exotic flowers. How to care for a Venus flytrap at home? First of all, you need to create optimal conditions for its growth and development.
The best place for a Venus flytrap in an apartment - these are the window sills of windows oriented to the east or west. The plant needs daily sunbathing for 4-5 hours in the morning and/or evening. If there is not enough light, provide it with artificial lighting. The Venus flytrap is often grown at home in terrariums and florariums, since it is in such conditions that the high air humidity necessary for the plant can be achieved, but in these cases artificial lighting becomes a necessity: a lamp with a power of at least 40 W is placed above the flower at a height of 20 cm and turned on daily. 14-16 hours.
The plant does not tolerate stagnant air and needs regular ventilation, but drafts should not be allowed in the room, and the plant should be protected from the midday sun. In summer, the Venus flytrap feels good on the balcony. There is no need to rotate the pot around its axis to achieve uniform lighting, as you do with other flowers, since the plant does not like any movement.
The Venus flytrap feels most comfortable in the summer in conditions of 20-30 ºC, and in winter the temperature can drop to 7 ºC.
Watering a Venus flytrap.
The roots of the Venus flytrap are not able to process mineral salts from the soil, so water the plant with soft rainwater, but it is not advisable to accumulate it in metal containers; it is better to use plastic buckets for this. Instead of rainwater, you can water the plant with distilled water. The substrate in the Venus flytrap pot must be kept moist at all times, as a lack of moisture will kill the traps. To moisten the soil, place the flower pot on a tray with enough water so that the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot are immersed in it - the flower itself will replenish its need for moisture.
Fertilizing a Venus flytrap.
Caring for a Venus flytrap does not involve adding fertilizer to the substrate, since the plant feeds on insects.
What to feed a Venus flytrap.
Do not feed the Venus flytrap with earthworms, beetles with hard chitinous shells, or gnawing insects that can damage the trap. Do not feed it meat or sausage - this food will cause the traps to rot. During the growing season, it is enough to give the Venus flytrap 2-3 live small flies, spiders or mosquitoes. You cannot feed Dionaea:
- – if she is sick or weakened;
- - if she grew up with poor lighting and in too humid environments;
- – if the plant has undergone transplantation or any other stress.
And from the end of September, feeding the Venus flytrap with insects is stopped until next spring.
Transplanting a Venus flytrap.
The Venus flytrap is replanted at home every 2-3 years, and it is better to do this in the spring. The pot for dionaea needs to be not wide, but deep, since its roots sometimes reach a length of 20 cm. When replanting, be careful, because the root system of the plant is fragile. Remove the flower from the pot, free its root system from the old substrate, and if it does not come off well, soak the roots in water for a few minutes. Then rinse the Dionaea leaves with a spray bottle.
The Venus flytrap substrate should consist of four parts peat, two parts perlite and one part quartz sand. Before mixing the substrate, the perlite should be soaked in water for a week, and the sand should be boiled in distillate. The Venus flytrap does not need drainage. After transplanting, the plant will need five weeks to adapt to the new soil, so place the plant in partial shade and increase watering.
Venus flytrap blooming
Caring for a Venus flytrap during flowering.
The Venus flytrap blooms in May or June: corymbose inflorescences of small white flowers up to 1 cm in diameter with a sweetish aroma appear on tall peduncles. Flowering lasts several weeks. If you do not plan to receive Venus flytrap seeds by autumn, then it is better to cut off the flowers while they are still in buds, since flowering greatly depletes the Dionaea and does not allow its traps to fully develop.
Venus flytrap in winter.
In autumn, the growth of new leaves stops and the plant begins to prepare for hibernation. To help the Venus flytrap enter the dormant period, you need to reduce watering and no longer leave water in the pan. Overwintering of the Venus flytrap should take place in cool partial shade, where the temperature will remain between 7-10 ºC. You can display the flower on a glassed-in loggia or even put it in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. Until spring, Dionaea will not need either lighting or nutrition. She will only need to moisten the soil, but moderation should be observed in this matter to avoid rotting in the roots. A resting Venus flytrap does not look attractive at all - the leaves turn brown and die.
In early or mid-March, you can return the Venus flytrap to its original place, trim off all its traps from last year and resume caring for it. However, active growth of Dionaea will begin only at the end of May.
Reproduction of Venus flytrap
Growing Venus flytrap from seeds.
In order to obtain Dionaea seeds, you need to manually pollinate its flowers with a brush or cotton swab. A month after successful pollination, small seed boxes will form. How to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds? Since the seeds of the plant quickly lose their viability, they need to be sown three months after pollination of the flowers in warm soil consisting of 70% sphagnum and 30% quartz sand. If the seeds have been stored longer, then they should be stratified before sowing - kept in the refrigerator for one and a half months, wrapped in sphagnum and sealed in a zipper bag.
The seeds are scattered over the surface of the substrate, without covering them, and sprayed with soft water from a spray bottle. The crops are placed in a greenhouse under bright diffused light - solar or artificial. The temperature is maintained within 24-29 ºC. Shoots appear in 2-3 weeks. It is necessary to ensure that the substrate is moist at all times. After another 2-3 weeks, when the seedlings grow up, they are planted in separate pots with a diameter of 8-9 cm, but for a Venus flytrap from seeds to grow to the size of an adult plant, it will take at least five years.
Propagation of Venus flytrap by leaf cuttings.
A leaf is cut off from a Venus flytrap, the cut is treated with Kornevin, the cutting is planted at an angle in a substrate consisting of quartz sand and peat, covered with a transparent cap and kept under bright diffused light until shoots appear at the base of the cutting. This usually happens after three months. Keep in mind that when rooting a Venus flytrap, cases of fungal infection of cuttings are quite common.
Reproduction of the Venus flytrap by dividing the bush.
It is much easier to propagate the Venus flytrap by dividing the bush. It is better to do this when replanting a plant: dionaea at the age of 1-2 years is removed from the pot, the roots are freed from the substrate, the daughter rosettes are separated from the adult plant with a sterile instrument, the divisions are planted in separate containers and kept in partial shade until they take root in the new soil .
Venus flytrap pests.
Oddly enough, but a predator that feeds on insects sometimes suffers from them. There have been cases when aphids were infested in Venus flytrap traps, which led to their deformation. There are special insecticides in aerosols against aphids.
In conditions of insufficient air humidity, spider mites can settle on the plant, which are destroyed by double or triple treatment with an acaricide solution at intervals of a week.
Venus flytrap diseases.
In wet soil and in conditions of too high air humidity, a black coating of sooty fungus appears on the plant. Fungicides are used to combat it.
Botrytis, or gray rot, also affects the Venus flytrap in the wrong conditions, covering it with a gray fluff of mold. It is necessary to immediately remove the affected parts, and then treat the plant with a fungicide solution.
The most dangerous is the bactericidal infection of the Venus flytrap, which can occur due to the fact that the plant is not able to digest the caught insect. In such cases, the trap with the victim begins to rot, turn black, and the disease quickly spreads to neighboring organs. It is necessary to promptly remove the damaged trap and treat the Venus flytrap with a fungicide solution.
The genus Dionaea is monotypic, that is, it is represented by a single species - the Venus flytrap. But there are many varieties of Venus flytrap. For example:
- – Dantate Trap– a plant with a diameter of 10-12 cm with traps in the amount of 5 to 12 pieces. The color of the flower is green with a red stripe along the outside of the traps, the inner cavity of the traps is red. Both leaves and traps are located almost vertically;
- – Giant– a plant with a rosette of green leaves that quickly forms traps larger than 5 cm in size, which in good light acquire a bright crimson color;
- – Akai Riu- a variety with traps and dark red leaves that retain this shade in both bright light and partial shade. Traps have a green stripe on the outside;
- – Regyula– a plant with green leaves and alternating traps of purple and red flowers;
- – Bohemian Garnet- a plant of dense green color with a diameter of up to 12 cm with the number of traps from 5 to 12 pieces. Wide leaves cover the entire substrate, traps are also located horizontally;
- – Funnel Trap- a plant that is green when young, but over time its traps turn red, although the petioles remain green. On one flower of this variety grow two types of traps of different structure;
- – Croquedile– young plants have a green color with a pinkish inner cavity of the traps, but over time the traps turn red. The leaves of the plant are arranged horizontally;
- – Triton– this Venus flytrap is green unusual shape traps: they are elongated and cut only on one side, and their teeth sometimes stick together;
- – Dracula– the Venus flytrap is green in color with a red inner cavity of the traps. The teeth on the traps are short, with a red stripe at their base on the outer side.
Dionaea muscipula, also called the Venus flytrap, is the most famous predator plant on the North American continent. This is the only species in the genus.
Venus flytrap(lat. Dionaea muscipula) is a species of carnivorous plants from the monotypic genus Dionaea of the Sundew family (Droseraceae). The scientific species name (muscipula) is translated from Latin as “mousetrap”, probably by botanist mistake, at least that’s what is commonly believed. Russian name The species was given in honor of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and plants. English name species (English Venus flytrap) corresponds to Russian.
An adult flytrap (it catches and assimilates not only flies, but also mosquitoes and other insects) usually does not exceed 15 cm. In spring, the Venus flytrap blooms with white flowers on a long peduncle.
The original habitat of the carnivorous Dionaea is peat bogs in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina (USA). Venus flytraps grow in an area called “savanna” - consisting of relief low-lying “islands” with an area of 1 to 5 hectares (no more than fifty of them have survived in their virgin form).
The Venus flytrap trap consists of two halves - valves, vaguely reminiscent in their structure of the opening shells of mollusks. Along the edges of the valves there are two rows of denticles. Along the rim of the valve, along the inner row of denticles of the trap, glands are located. They produce and secrete a pleasant-smelling nectar that attracts insects into the trap. Each of the two internal flat surfaces Dionaea traps are equipped with three trigger hairs. If insects repeatedly touch these hairs while absorbing nectar, the trap begins to close.
At first, the Venus flytrap trap is only slightly covered, and the insects have the opportunity to move back and forth within the trap. If the insect is small, in principle, it has a chance to avoid the deplorable fate of being eaten and escape by slipping through the hole between the teeth. When this happens, the triggers stop stimulating and the trap opens completely again (after about a day). This response mechanism is simply necessary for Dionea: it is it that helps prevent loss of time on “ false alarm» traps due to extraneous interference (for example, raindrops, windblown sticks, twigs or chitinous shells of insects).
But if a bug caught in the Dionaea trap cannot get out of it, then the stimulation of the triggers continues, the trap closes more and more tightly. The digestion process begins. Digestive juice is abundantly secreted from the glands located on the inner surfaces of the valves of the Venus flytrap trap - the insect completely drowns in this liquid. The trap remains closed for several days. When it finally opens, only the undigested chitinous shell of the former insect is revealed. Each Venus flytrap trap is designed for about three digestive processes, and then it dies.
There are two alternative hypotheses for the effect of this impulse. According to one of them, these cells quickly release hydronium ions into the cell walls, loosening and causing their rapid swelling by osmosis. According to the second hypothesis, cells in the inner layers of the lobes and the middle part of the leaf quickly secrete other ions, and water is also released by osmosis, leading to cell collapse.
If the prey fails to free itself, it continues to stimulate inner surface leaf blades, causing cell growth. Eventually, the edges of the sheets close, completely closing the trap and forming a “stomach” in which the digestion process takes place. Digestion is catalyzed by enzymes secreted by glands in the lobes. Digestion takes approximately 10 days, after which all that remains of the prey is an empty chitinous shell. After this, the trap opens and is ready to catch new prey. During the life of the trap, an average of three insects fall into it.
The Venus Flytrap is perfect not only for decorating a window sill, but also for an interesting introduction to your children into the fascinating and entertaining world of nature.
The first and most common misconception about the Venus Flytrap is that it requires very difficult care, since it comes from southern latitudes, and that it is very demanding of high temperature and humidity. In fact, these plants come from fairly cold northern latitudes, and they are perennials.
These plants are found naturally in southeastern Northern California, growing in open, sunny, moist meadows. In addition, the Flycatcher grows in the northeastern swamps of South Carolina, preferring swamps with peaty and sandy soil. Despite the fact that flycatchers grow in swamps, they are extremely intolerant of stagnant air and require several hours under sun rays. During the winter dormant period, the vital activity of plants decreases; at such a time, low temperatures and short days are preferred for them, that is, a much smaller number of plants compared to the summer period. sunlight.
In order to achieve significant success in growing this plant, extreme attention should be paid to the conditions in which the Flycatcher grows in nature and what its corresponding requirements are for the natural factors surrounding it.
The growth cycle of the Venus Flytrap consists of four periods, with different types growth in each period. In the spring, emerging from winter dormancy, the plant produces a rosette of leaves 2-4 inches (5-10cm) in diameter. at the same time, several stems with white flowers may appear.
Several more types of leaves appear in the summer. On top of the lower leaves that press low to the ground, new ones grow, which are held quite high on the stems above the ground. Traps grow from them. Trapped leaves grow continuously, replacing their dead predecessors.
As the days begin to get shorter and colder, the plant begins to prepare for hibernation, during which time only the lower rosette of leaves remains.
Flycatcher is a semi-evergreen plant. Even in winter, a few leaves remain on the surface. The leaves are fairly frost tolerant, but may die off in extreme cold. The underground part remains alive. Tiny bulbs that resemble lily bulbs are gaining strength to sprout wildly next spring.
The flycatcher can be grown in gardens simulating swamps, terrariums with the appropriate microclimate, even if you decide to keep it on the windowsill, it will feel quite good. If the plant grows on a windowsill, place the pot with the Flycatcher in a tray or container, into which pour 2-3 centimeters of rain or distilled water. Under no circumstances should the soil be allowed to dry out. The plant should be kept in a window where it will be guaranteed several hours of light, preferably in the morning, since poor sun can scorch the plants. Probably the most interesting thing for the owners of the Flycatcher is its feeding; after all, it is for this purpose that carnivorous plants are usually purchased, but it should be in moderation. The flycatcher should be given soft insects that can be easily digested by its traps. If you overfeed the leaf, it may die. In no case should you feed Mukholova with fried and raw meat, or very large insects, since they are not completely digested by the plant, which causes the process of rotting inside the trap to begin.
Providing a sufficient and natural amount of light for the Flycatcher every day will help the plant enter a state of winter dormancy in time. This will be a consequence of the reduction in the amount of sunlight closer to autumn. At this time, new leaves practically do not grow, and only a small rosette remains. The flytrap should be provided with a low temperature so that the plant enters a state of winter dormancy. The pot with the plant can no longer be kept in a pan of water, but at the same time, make sure that the soil does not dry out, then the Flytrap should be placed in a room with a temperature of 2 - 10 ˚C. An unheated basement or room, or a compartment in the refrigerator, with an appropriate temperature, is perfect for this purpose. At winter storage flytraps in the refrigerator, the pot with the plant should be placed in a plastic bag to prevent the soil from drying out. Lighting during this period is not at all necessary for the Flycatcher; nevertheless, during the winter it must be checked regularly to prevent drying out, or vice versa, rotting. Hibernation is extremely important for this plant; if it grows continuously throughout the year, it may die from lack of energy.
With the onset of warm spring days, the plant can be moved back to its original place, and its growth will soon resume. At this time, the Flycatcher blossoms and noticeably increases in size. During the same period, it can be replanted using peat or peat-sand mixture. You cannot use regular garden soil mixtures as they are not suitable for Flytrap in terms of acidity.
Growing Flycatchers in terrariums simulating a swamp is practically no different from growing them in pots. The only difference is that it is a little more difficult to provide adequate lighting in a terrarium. For normal growth of the Flycatcher, a terrarium with a volume of 40-75 liters will be sufficient. The bottom of the terrarium can be lined with a layer of moss and peat, or a peat-sand mixture. Since the soil must always be moist, a drainage layer is not necessary. Only distilled or rainwater should be used for irrigation, as minerals from untreated water will accumulate in this soil. In order to provide sufficient lighting, you can use a 40-watt fluorescent lamp, which should be installed at a height of 20-30 cm above the plants. It should be taken into account that the higher the terrarium, the more difficult it is to illuminate it. The duration of artificial lighting should be adjusted depending on the season. During the Flycatcher's transition to winter dormancy, the terrarium should be moved to an unheated basement or room, or removed from the terrarium, leaving some moss and peat, placed in plastic bags and transferred to the refrigerator.
If it allows climate zone, Venerina Mukholova can be grown in the garden outside, having previously created the required conditions. At the same time, it will feel and look much better than when grown in flowerpots or terrariums. The flycatcher is planted in pots with a depth of at least 20 cm and a width of at least 30 cm. For planting, a peat and peat-sand mixture is used, on top of which it is advisable to lay a layer of moss so that the peat is not washed out during rains and thunderstorms. You need to make sure that the plants do not dry out and at the same time you need to choose a well-lit place. When the Flycatcher grows in the fresh air, it can feed itself and will delight you with excellent results. Being constantly in the fresh air, with natural lighting, it will bloom in time and go into winter dormancy. If the winter in your region is not very cold, the Flycatcher can be left to spend the winter outside, otherwise it is better for it to overwinter in a cold basement or refrigerator, as described earlier.
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)– small carnivorous plant with an outstanding reputation. Charles Darwin himself described it as "one of the most beautiful plants in the world." The Venus flytrap is able to capture live insects using its modified leaves as traps. This ability allows it to grow in nitrogen-deficient soils. She is one of the few plants that are capable of such lightning-fast movements.
Description
The Venus flytrap grows to about 15cm wide. The leaves are arranged in a rosette around an underground stem. The plant has four to seven leaves, each of which is a trap. The trap consists of two opposing petals with spikes along the outer edges. The flytrap grows low to the ground, allowing insects to easily crawl into the trap. The flowers are small, star-shaped and located at the ends of the stems. The plant blooms in May–June and then produces small, black seeds. Life expectancy is up to seven years.
Inside each trap there are small hairs that act as sensors. Touching the tendril once will not have any effect. But as soon as the insect makes two consecutive touches to two different hairs, the trap will close in the blink of an eye, in 0.1 seconds. This complex mechanism is necessary to avoid idle slamming when raindrops or other objects enter. The exact principle of operation of the trap is still not fully understood, but scientists believe it is associated with the rapid transfer of water between plant cells.
Once the insect is trapped, the Venus flytrap releases digestive enzymes and dissolves its prey within 2 weeks. Then it opens again in anticipation of the next victim. Each trap is capable of catching up to seven food items during its life.
The Venus flytrap is native to the pine savannas and wetlands of North and South Carolina, USA. It thrives in waterlogged, nitrogen-deficient and acidic soils. The Venus flytrap prefers open, sunny areas with moist soil.
Preservation and distribution
The Venus flytrap primarily grows in a small area less than 100 miles around the city of Wilmington in the US state of North Carolina. The greatest threat to the conservation of the species comes from illegal collection. wild plants for trade. The Venus flytrap is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is also listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Growing at home
Venus Flytrap can be grown at home. Given the plant's reputation as a finicky plant, it simply needs to be created in conditions close to its natural habitat. Place it in a bright place, but not in direct sunlight. It is better to take rainwater or distilled water, but in no case tap water. It also needs acidic soils and peat compost mixed with coarse sand or perlite for better drainage.
Flycatcher is not a tropical plant and grows best in temperatures between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius. Remove dead or dying leaves to prevent rotting and spreading to healthy ones. Don't feed your flycatcher anything other than live insects. Do not overfeed her; one feeding per week is enough. Make sure the trap is three times the size of the insect you are feeding it. Food that is too large can damage or even kill her.
Usage
The Venus Flytrap is grown mainly as ornamental plant, but can also be used for medical purposes. Proponents of this method claim that the plant contains chemical substances, which have antitumor and rejuvenating effects. The American Cancer Society notes that there is no authoritative scientific evidence to support these properties.
The Venus flytrap, or its other name, Dionea, is a fairly popular indoor plant all over the world. Amateur flower growers purchase it most often because of its original exotic appearance, the bright color of its traps and the unusual, for the most part, indoor plants, behavior. This carnivorous plant- predator. Watching the process of catching some insect with a flytrap is very interesting and funny. But caring for a Venus flytrap at home is not an easy task. We will try to help you in this difficult matter.
Growing a Venus flytrap at home is not very easy. We will have to try and create optimal conditions for it, close to the conditions of its natural growth. And we will tell you what rules must be followed for its normal growth and development.
Location and lighting
The tropical predator grows well on the eastern and western windowsills of the apartment, and even better on the southern ones, provided it is shaded during the midday hours. She loves fresh air and needs frequent ventilation of the room. But it must be protected from drafts! In summer, it is advisable to take the pot with the little predator out into the garden or onto the balcony. There she will quickly begin to feast on tasty insects. If the climate in your area allows you to grow a flytrap in the garden, then the dimensions of the planting container should be increased to 20 cm in depth and 30 cm in width. The soil surface should be covered with moss.
Venus flytrap loves bright sunlight
The Venus flytrap loves bright sunlight. But you should not turn the bush to the sun with different sides - the flycatcher does not like this. Try to let the sun illuminate it for at least five hours a day, preferably in the mornings and evenings. But the rest of the time, Dionea should not suffer from lack of lighting. She will like light partial shade in the middle of the day. On winter time The plant should be placed in the basement to prevent it from freezing.
When growing Dionea in an apartment, in spring and autumn it will clearly not have enough sunlight. You will understand this by the elongated and pale leaves. Provide artificial lighting for the plant using a fluorescent lamp or phyto lamp. The backlight should be turned on for more long time so that the daylight hours are 12–14 hours.
Venus flytrap in the florarium
Venus flytraps are often grown in aquariums, special terrariums and florariums to maintain high air humidity. Then artificial lighting with a lamp with a power of at least 40 W is installed above the plant at a height of 20–25 cm for 12–15 hours a day.
Flower content temperature
Dionaea is a heat-loving flower. During the period of active growth and formation of traps, a temperature of 22 - 30 degrees is considered comfortable for it. Celsius. During the hot summer months, temperatures can rise even higher without harming the growth and development of the plant. But, constant year-round heat ambient air is contraindicated for him - he will not live long with you. The flower needs an annual rest in winter. The temperature at this time, for three to four months, should be reduced to a minimum, not higher than 5 - 7 degrees. Celsius.
Watering
In its natural habitat, the Venus flytrap grows on such poor soils that over many centuries its roots have completely forgotten how to absorb mineral salts from the soil. Therefore, the plant should be watered only with clean rainwater. It is better to accumulate and store it in plastic containers - it is not advisable to use metal tanks and buckets. Note that in our environmentally unfavorable times, rainwater may also contain all sorts of impurities. Therefore, it is better to use distilled, filtered or pre-boiled water for irrigation. We do not recommend using tap water, even if it has been standing for a long time.
The soil in the small predator's pot must always be moist, otherwise the lack of moisture will kill the traps. Water the flower only in the tray. Top watering should not allow the soil in the pot to become compacted and deprive the root system of oxygen. We recommend placing sphagnum moss on the surface of the substrate in the pot to prevent it from drying out. upper layer soil. To better moisten the soil in a pot, pour enough water into the tray so that it covers the bottom of the pot with drainage holes, then the flower itself can replenish its need for moisture. It is necessary to monitor the quality of water in the pan. Long-term stagnation of water should not be allowed.
- In hot weather with low air humidity, it is necessary to constantly spray the flower and the surrounding area with a spray bottle.
- In winter, when the flycatcher rests at low ambient temperatures, you still need to monitor the condition of the soil. It should not dry out, but overmoistening it can cause rotting of the roots.
Soil and pot
For the Venus flytrap, choose a light-colored pot
In the wild, the Venus flytrap prefers soils that are poor in nutrients. If you plant it in nutrient soil, then its roots simply will not be able to absorb mineral salts from the fatty soil. The plant will get sick. The best soil for the flycatcher there will be a mixture of quartz sand and high peat in equal parts. You can use perlite instead of sand, but you will have to soak it well in distilled water a week before planting, replacing it twice with a fresh portion. Sometimes a mixture of peat (4 hours), perlite (2 hours) and sand (1 hour) is prepared.
When choosing peat, you should remember that Venus flytraps naturally grow on fairly acidic soils - with an acidity pH of 3.5 to 4.5.
The best place to grow a Venus flytrap is in a glass container, such as an aquarium. In it, the flytrap will be protected from drafts, and there will be no obstacle to fresh air. If you plant Dionea in a regular pot, then it should not be too wide, no more than 10 - 12 cm, but 20 cm deep. The color of the pot is also important. Let it be light, since in a dark pot the root system of the flytrap will be very overheated from the sun. The flower itself loves the sun very much, but its roots may suffer from overheating. Cover the surface of the substrate in the pot with damp moss. Drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and a tray underneath are required. But drainage is not needed. There should always be fresh water in the pan. Sometimes sphagnum moss is placed there to maintain the humidity necessary for the flower.
Planting and replanting Dionea
In order to choose a variety to your liking, read our article. If you have already purchased a bush in a store, it is better to immediately transplant it into your own, pre-prepared substrate. To do this, carefully remove the flower from the transport container. Try to clean the roots from the soil, even rinse them in warm distilled or boiled water. Place a layer of substrate in a container prepared for planting, at least 20 cm deep. Drainage is not required. Place the root system of the new pet in the middle of the pot and sprinkle it with soil along with the stem. There is no need to compact the soil with your hands. Water the plant. Place in a warm place in light shade. It will take a long time for the flycatcher to get used to the new soil – within a month. During this period, it should be well watered and protected from the scorching sun.
There are practically no indications for annual replanting of the Venus flytrap, since its soil is not depleted, and there should be no salting if you water the plant as it should, with boiled or filtered warm water.
In late spring and early summer, the Venus flytrap begins to bloom. A long peduncle appears from the center of the rosette, at the end of which there is a corymbose inflorescence of small, star-like flowers. white. Flycatcher flowers smell pleasant. Their flowering lasts almost two months. If you are not going to receive flytrap seeds that have ripened by autumn, then it is better to cut off the emerging inflorescences while they are in buds, since prolonged flowering greatly depletes the flower and does not allow it to fully develop and form healthy traps.
Fertilizers and fertilizers for Dionea
Venus flytraps do not require fertilizer for houseplants in their usual form. The root system of the plant is not accustomed to taking nutrients from the soil. But for the development of the plant, its growth and flowering, these nutrients, especially nitrogen, are simply necessary.
The best fertilizer for Dionea
Dionea synthesizes the nutrients necessary for life on its own. For a nitrogen-containing dessert, it catches insects with its trap leaves. The prey of the flycatcher is not only flying flies and bees, but also crawling spiders, ants, bugs, slugs and others similar insects. All of them, caught and digested by a predatory flower, play the role of nitrogen fertilizer, stimulating the plant for new growth and development. If you don’t have flies, spiders, or at least mosquitoes in your apartment, you will have to catch them yourself on the street or in the country and feed them alive to a tropical predator. Exactly, alive - the Venus flytrap does not feed on dead flies! The flower needs such feeding no more than twice a month.
When choosing food for your pet, you need to remember a few points:
- Do not feed the flycatcher worms and hard-shelled insects;
- leaf beetles are not suitable for her dinner, as they can damage the trap;
- there is no need to feed a diseased plant, you first need to cure it;
- You should not feed the newly transplanted flower for some time - let it get used to the new soil;
- there is no need to feed the flycatcher during its winter rest;
- You should not give the flycatcher meat or other human food products - the traps only react to live food;
- do not catch large insects. They must be completely placed in the traps. If part of the victim remains outside, a tight seal may not be possible. The trap will not be able to properly digest the captured prey, it will turn black and fall off. For an ideal meal, the prey should be the size of one third of the size of the trap.
Interestingly, the Venus flytrap eats organic food only when it lacks nitrogen, that is, when it is hungry. At other times, mosquitoes and flies do not bother her. And if you try to feed her when she has no appetite, she will ignore all your attempts.
And one more rule. No need once again touch the leaves of the trap. The trap, not receiving protein food and slamming shut in vain several times in a row, will stop functioning, turn black and die prematurely.
We remind you that you should not feed the flower a lot or often. Digestion of prey occurs on average within 10 – 14 days. The larger the insect, the longer it takes to digest. How older age traps, the slower the digestive juices are released, the longer the process of digesting food takes. The warm season, on the contrary, promotes faster digestion of prey. In any case, the interval between feedings should be at least two weeks, even better - once a month. It is enough to feed just one or two traps at a time. Remember these traps and do not feed them for one and a half to two months. IN next appointment food feed the other two traps. It is important to know that overeating, that is, an excess of nitrogen in the tissues, is not desirable for the flycatcher - it becomes lethargic and can get sick.
If your flower grows on outdoors, there is no need to worry about feeding him at all. If you see a closed trap mouth on a flower, it means that the flycatcher recently caught and ate someone. Just watch how she lures her prey and deftly catches it.
Venus flytrap's winter dormancy period
At the end of September, all feeding of the flycatcher stops - the predator is tired of hunting and begins to prepare for winter rest. A sign of this will be the cessation of the plant’s formation of new leaves. Old leaves will begin to darken and fall off. The socket will decrease in size. Feeding of the flycatcher is postponed until spring. It needs less and less water, so it can be drained from the pan. You still need to water, but less often and more moderately, as long as the soil in the pot does not dry out at all. Moreover, you will have to monitor the condition of the soil throughout hibernation. In case of drying out, as well as in the case of waterlogging, the flycatcher may not wake up in the spring.
In December, the Venus flytrap should be moved to another, cooler, but not necessarily dark place with a temperature of 2 to 10 degrees. Celsius. Sometimes a pot with a flycatcher is taken out into basement. You can put the pot in plastic bag, and store it in the lower compartment of the refrigerator or on a glassed-in loggia. The flower will remain in this form for three to four months, that is, throughout the plant’s winter hibernation. In February, the Venus flytrap slowly wakes up. The flower is taken out of cold captivity and returned to its old place, warm and well-lit. Last year's traps should be cut off. Start caring for the flower. Monitor humidity and temperature indicators, water, spray. Only by the end of May will the Venus flytrap begin to actively grow and develop.
If the winter holiday was complete, the plant will continue its life in your apartment with renewed vigor, and will surprise and amuse you for many more years.
Reproduction of Venus flytrap
This predator reproduces in four ways: cuttings, dividing bulbs, using seeds and peduncles.
Cuttings
For propagation using cuttings, select a leaf without a trap. Treat the cut with root. Plant the cutting with the lower white part at an angle in a container with wet peat or a mixture of peat and sand. Close the lid tightly. Place in a well-lit, warm place. High humidity, lighting and temperature must be maintained throughout rooting. Within two to three months, the first shoots will appear at the base of the cutting. It will take another two to three months before the new pet can be moved to a permanent location.
Department of baby bulbs
Over the years, an adult plant produces many daughter bulbs. The Venus flytrap prefers to grow up in a close family company, next to its children, and noticeably weakens when they are often separated. Therefore, no more often than once every three years, these bulbs can be carefully separated from mother plant along with the roots and plant in separate pots. Sprinkle the cut areas with crushed coal. At first, the seedlings are covered with film to create a greenhouse effect and kept in partial shade until they take root.
How to grow a Venus flytrap from seeds
The photo shows Venus flytrap seeds
This is the most difficult and, most importantly, unpredictable way to obtain a new plant. A Venus flytrap grown from seeds may look nothing like its mother because characteristics genes are lost with this method of reproduction. We can only obtain seeds ourselves from an adult Dionaea, older than two to three years. When it blooms, you will have to do the pollination manually. From each flower you will collect pollen using a cotton swab or small brush and transfer it to another flower. This procedure will have to be repeated several times over several days. If pollination is successful, the flycatcher produces a capsule-shaped fruit. In the fall, a ripe dry capsule will give you seeds that can be immediately planted in the ground. You cannot delay this for long, as the seeds lose their viability over time.
If you bought seeds of any variety of Venus Flytrap from the store, the process of planting them will be the same as planting your own seeds.
First of all, prepare the planting container, substrate, and greenhouse. We recommend that you use a container with a lid to plant the seeds. Place a mixture of moss - sphagnum (2 hours) and sand (1 hour) on the bottom. Pre-treat the flytrap seeds with Topaz solution according to the instructions. Then spread them over the surface of the damp substrate. Cover the container with a lid and place it preferably in a sunny place. If there is no such thing in the room, then find a place under a fluorescent lamp or under a phyto lamp so that the container is illuminated for 12 - 14 hours a day. The temperature of seed germination should be maintained within 25 - 30 degrees. Celsius. Humidity is the maximum possible.
The seeds should hatch within a month, sometimes a little earlier. Moisten the substrate, if necessary, with warm distilled water using a fine spray bottle. When the first leaves appear, the greenhouse must be ventilated. At first, they open it for a short time - the seedlings must gradually get used to the fresh air and harden. After a month, you don’t have to close the lid, and after some more time, the stronger sprouts will need to be planted into separate pots with a diameter of 8–10 cm. These little ones will become adult predators in about five years.
Peduncle
In spring, a long flower stalk appears on the Venus flytrap. In a small predator, 10–15 cm high, the peduncle can reach up to half a meter in height. A young plant may simply not be able to cope with such flowering and get sick. If you doubt the strength of your flycatcher, cut off this flower stalk immediately. But don't throw it away. It can be used to propagate your exotic. To do this, cut off the peduncle when it is not yet very long, about 5 cm. Stick it into wet peat to a depth of 1 cm. Cover with film or a transparent cap - greenhouse conditions are needed. Rooting will take a long time - one and a half to two months. At this time, monitor the moisture content of the peat and ventilate the greenhouse. The peduncle may even dry out, but you wait patiently for the allotted time. Usually, young shoots appear on time. After another month, it can be transplanted into its own pot.
Venus flytrap diseases
This plant is very resilient and rarely gets sick. But, if you try and break all the rules of its maintenance, then the flycatcher will stop catching flies.
With constant overmoistening of the root system and low temperature in the room, it can develop fungal disease roots, stems and gray rot on the leaves. These diseases are treated chemicals- fungicides, of which there are a great many in stores.
Bactericidal damage, which occurs due to the fact that the flytrap, for some reason, is not able to digest the caught victim, is very dangerous for the plant. The trap with the insect inside begins to rot and turn black. This disease can quickly spread to nearby traps and plant tissue. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly remove the damaged trap and treat the entire flower with a suitable preparation - a fungicide.
If you start watering the flytrap with hard water, a large amount of calcium will accumulate in the soil, which will lead to yellowing of the plant's leaves.
If you forget to water your flytrap and its soil often dries out, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. The soil under the plant should always be slightly moist.
From direct sunlight passing through the glass, sunburn occurs on the young leaves of the Venus flytrap. Look where the pot is - perhaps it should be moved to another place or slightly shaded.
Pests
Conclusion
In this article we talked about the conditions of comfortable living in room conditions unusual tropical plant- Venus flytrap. If you want to grow it at home, our advice will be useful to you. We are sure that it will not only decorate your windowsill, but will also replace your pet. You will give her water, take her for a walk, protect her from drafts and diseases. And what other flower will open its trap mouth in front of you when it is hungry? Remember the last time you caught flies? So, you will quickly learn to catch different insects, if a hungry Venus flytrap with open bright red traps is waiting for you at home.
In nature there are predator plants. The Venus flytrap or Dionaea muscipula is one of them. This herbaceous perennial of the sundew family has a rosette of 4-7 brightly colored leaves with serrated edges and digestive glands. When touched, each leaf can close like an oyster shell. An insect or other creature that is attracted to the leaf and touches the hairs in its center almost instantly finds itself trapped. Both halves will close and remain closed until the victim is digested. This process can last from five to 10 days. If the Dionaea leaf misses, or something inedible gets into it, it will open again in half an hour. Each trap leaf is capable of processing up to seven insects during its life.
The flower behaves in this way because its habitat in the wild is infertile soil, and insects become an additional source of nitrogen, phosphorus and other substances it needs.
The Venus flytrap lives only in the United States, in wetlands in North and South Carolina. However, with success and with some trouble, it can easily settle on the windowsill of your apartment. Read about how to grow a Venus flytrap and the features of caring for it at home in our material.
Did you know? It takes the flycatcher approximately 30 seconds to recognize its prey.
Choosing a place for a flycatcher
Let us immediately make a reservation that the process of growing this plant will not be simple, since the dionea will need to be provided with natural conditions for it. So, the flycatcher needs to be watered with rainwater, ensure that the ground under the plant is constantly moist, carry out care measures, and also feed it periodically. 
However, first things first. And we will start with recommendations for choosing a habitat for a flycatcher.
Temperature
Dionea is a heat-loving plant. At the same time, year-round being only at room temperature, she won't be able to live long. The temperature must be maintained artificially.
The optimal temperature for its growth in autumn and spring will be +22-28 ºС. The highest temperature limit for a plant in summer it will be +35 ºС. In winter, for 3-4 months, the flycatcher is at rest, during which time it needs to be provided with a temperature of 0 to +10 ºС.
Since the plant reacts very sensitively to changes in temperature conditions, most often it is planted in glass greenhouses and florariums. It is also easier to maintain optimal air humidity for the plant - 70%.
Did you know? In its homeland, Dionaea is under threat of extinction, since it is widely collected there for illegal trade. The Venus flytrap is listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Lighting
The exotic carnivore likes well-lit places, but not in direct sunlight. It is better if the light reaches it diffused. Windows, balconies, loggias facing west or east are suitable for growing it. It may be on the south side, but in this case it will be necessary to take care of shelter from direct rays. It is important that the light source is always on one side. You should not rotate the pot with the flycatcher - she does not like it. If there is insufficient natural light, it is possible to use artificial lighting. To thrive, the flycatcher requires access to light for at least four hours a day. During the growing season, artificial lighting will need to be used 12-14 hours a day.
Important! If suddenly the trap leaves of your flytrap change color to a duller color, stretch out and become thinner, then most likely the plant is deprived of sunlight.
Choosing dishes for planting
The best place to plant a Venus flytrap would be an aquarium or other glass container. They will protect the plant from drafts and at the same time provide access to fresh air. The container in which you plan to plant the flower must be at least 10-12 cm deep and have drainage holes. It is advisable to have a tray in which moss must be placed to maintain the required humidity.
Soil for Venus
In order for the Venus flytrap to please you at home for as long as possible, you must follow certain rules regarding lighting, watering and selection of soil for planting.
We have already written that in nature, a predatory plant grows in poor soils. Therefore, in an apartment it can also live in similar soils, but with good drainage. The best option will be a mixture of quartz sand and high-moor peat (1:1) or a mixture of perlite and high-moor peat (1:1). Seven days before planting, perlite must be soaked in distilled water, changing it twice during this time.
You can also use a substrate in the following composition: peat, perlite and sand (4:2:1). It is recommended to change the soil every two to three years.
Important! When choosing peat, you need to pay attention that the natural acidity of the soil in which flycatchers grow is 3.5-4.5.
Planting, propagation and transplantation of Venus
It is better to immediately transplant dionaea purchased in a store into previously prepared soil. To do this, the plant must be carefully removed from the pot along with a lump of earth. Next, the roots from this soil need to be cleaned; you can rinse them in distilled water. After this, the flytrap is planted in a container with substrate prepared for it, after making a small hole. The stem of the Venus flytrap must be sprinkled with earth; there is no need to compact the soil when replanting.
In the future, the carnivore will be replanted better in spring, however, transplantation is also allowed in autumn period. The plant gets used to the new soil within five weeks.
Dionaea reproduces in three ways:seeds, dividing bulbs and cuttings. Let us describe the features of each of them in more detail.
Method of dividing the bush
The older the plant gets, the more daughter bulbs it will have. The bulbs can be carefully, without disturbing the roots, separated from the mother flower and planted in a new container, which it is advisable to place in a greenhouse. It is better to use this method no more often than once every three years. 
Using cuttings
For cultivation, take a cutting without a trap. It must be planted at an angle in a container with moist peat with the lower part white. Place the container in a greenhouse, where one hundred percent humidity and lighting are maintained. Sprouts should appear within a month. Plants that can be used for planting will take two to three months to grow.
Seed method
The seed method is more complex than the vegetative method. To grow dionaea from seeds, you need to buy seed material in a specialized store, prepare a substrate (70% sphagnum moss and 30% sand) and a greenhouse. A greenhouse can be made from any container small sizes. It is covered with a lid or film.
Before planting in the ground, seeds should be treated with Topaz solution (add two to three drops to distilled water). Then they must be placed in the substrate without covering them with soil. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Place the container in the sun or under artificial lighting. Optimal temperature for seed germination – +24-29 ºС. The period within which seedlings should appear is 15-40 days. During this time, you need to maintain the required level of humidity.
After the first two leaves appear, the cover will need to be removed periodically in order to harden off the plants. A little later, after a month or two, the seedlings can be planted in pots.
An even more labor-intensive method would be to propagate flycatchers using independently obtained seeds. Flowering should be expected from Dionaea that is two years old and older. It blooms with beautiful white flowers. In order to obtain seed material, the flowers will need to be pollinated by hand. A month after flowering, the flycatcher will produce a fruit in the form of a box. Seeds removed from a dry box must be immediately (within two days) planted in the ground, since over time they lose their ability to germinate.
Plant care
An adult Dionaea, or Venus flytrap, requires special care. Firstly, the soil in the pot must be constantly moist; it should not dry out. However, in winter, waterlogging can lead to rotting of the roots, so watering should be moderate.
Watering a Venus flytrap
Watering must be done using distilled or rain water. It is prohibited to use tap water, even distilled water.
Water the flytrap at the root or pour water into the pan. It is important not to allow fluid to stagnate. The flower also requires regular spraying.
